Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2011
http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.com
Check out these Crystal Caves in Mexico! They are INCREDIBLE!
A team of international scientists explore a Mexican cave filled with giant crystals. With temperatures near 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.8 Celsius), and over 80 per cent humidity, the cave is one of the deadliest environments on earth.
Without specialized suits and equipment, the scientists would die in minutes.
Their mission: to unlock the secrets of the mysterious ancient crystals, some of the largest ever discovered.
Naica Crystal Cave - Mexico 1
Naica Crystal Cave - Mexico 2
Naica Crystal Cave - Mexico 3
Naica Crystal Cave - Mexico 4
Naica Crystal Cave - Mexico 5
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naica_Mine
he Naica Mine of the Mexican state of Chihuahua is a working mine that is best known for its extraordinary selenite crystals.[1] Located in Naica in the municipality of Saucillo, the Naica Mine, a lead, zinc and silver mine operated by Industrias Peñoles, is Mexico's largest lead producer. [2] Caverns discovered during mining operations contain crystals of selenite (gypsum) as large as 4 feet (1.2 m) in diameter and 50 feet (15 m) long.
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| Wikipedia Loves Art at the Houston Museum of Natural Science This photo of item # [1] at the Houston Museum of Natural Science was contributed under the team name "Assignment_Houston_One" as part of the Wikipedia Loves Art project in February 2009. Houston Museum of Natural Science Institutional caption: Selenite (gypsum) Monoclinic calcium sulfate Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico |
The selenite crystals were formed by hydrothermal fluids emanating from the magma chambers below.
The cavern was discovered while the miners were drilling through the Naica fault, which they were worried would flood the mine.
